Initially, it was used for entertainment and movies and was popular for recording audio. It was in a read-only format and was created in 1975 by Philips and Sony. The first digitally recorded optical disc was a 5-inch audio CD (Compact Discs). They are commonly used in computers to read software and media stored in the disc and record discs for data exchange and archival purposes. Optical disc drives are an integrated part of standalone devices such as various disc players, video game consoles. Optical data storage discs are small, portable, and are quite durable even when using them continuously. These discs contain a light-sensitive layer in which data can be stored. An Optical Discs drive is a storage mechanism that uses laser light (electromagnetic wave with a specific wavelength within or near the visible light spectrum) to write data to or read data from an optical disc like CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs. 10 Best External CD/DVD Drives to Use For Mac in 2020ĬD/DVD drives are a type of ODD (Optical Discs Drive).